1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tabletop cooking assembly, particularly to a teppanyaki assembly that has increased cooking efficiently, increased collection of smoke and oil from a cooking surface during operation, and increased safety features.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical teppanyaki assembly 20, shown in FIG. 1, includes a table frame 22 having a cooking element 24 disposed thereon, a vent 26 defining an aperture 28 and a vent hood 30 disposed adjacent the aperture 28. An exhaust duct 32 is connected to the aperture 28 for directing smoke away from the cooking element 24. The assembly also includes a filter 34 in fluid communication with the vent 26 and in the path of the air flow of the exhaust duct 32 and an electrostatic precipitator 36.
When the cooking element 24 generates smoke, including oil fumes and odorous air while cooking, the smoke passes through the vent hood 30 and the aperture 28 and into the exhaust duct 32. The smoke is filtered by the filter 34 and further cleaned by the electrostatic precipitator 36. Generally, the filter 34 needs to be cleaned often for keeping the air circulation at a desired rate. A blower 38 is downstream and separate from the electrostatic precipitator 36. The electrostatic precipitator 36 and the blower 38 are individual and separate units connected together by a duct. One drawback to such a configuration is that the assembly has inefficiencies that lead to insufficient capture of the smoke generated on the cooking surface.
One such teppanyaki assembly is shown in United States Patent Application Publication 2012/0247345 to Chiang having the exhaust duct 32 diverted around a control panel 40, which reduces the amount of air flow and less smoke is captured from the cooking element 24. Another draw back is that if a fire were to erupt in the exhaust duct 32 adjacent to the control panel 40, a tremendous amount of heat would be generated and result in the control panel 40 being melted, burned, or shorted out, such that any safety mechanisms could not be activated.
Various heating mechanisms 42 are known for use with teppanyaki assemblies. One such heating mechanism 42 is shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The underside of the cooking element 24 has a plurality of channels 44 milled into the underside of the cooking element 24. Each of the channels 44 is tubular, or round, and receives a tubular or round heating strip 46. Each of the heating strips 46 are separate from one another, as best shown in FIG. 2, but each of the heating strips 46 are connected together with an exposed connection 48. These exposed connections 48 generate heat which can result in injury when the teppanyaki assemblies are utilized. The heating mechanism 42 also includes a retaining plate 50, formed of metal, directly adjacent to the heating strips 46. Because the heating strips 46 are tubular and the channels 44 are tubular, the heat transfer from the heating strips 46 to the cooking element 24 is inefficient because there is a small contact area and the heat is transferred from the heating strips 46 to the retaining plate 50. During operation, the retaining plate 50 absorbs the heat from the heating strips 46 and becomes very hot, which exposes users to potential injury. Further, the combination of the exposed connections 48 being in series with one another and the tubular channels 44 requires the entire heating mechanism 42 to be removed to service any of the heating strips 46.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a teppanyaki assembly that overcomes these inadequacies.